Thomas Counihan IV was born in Fort Myers, FL on May 26, 1990. Raised in West Palm Beach, FL he graduated from Seminole Ridge High School in 2008 as the swim team captain with a 100% Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. After attending Univ. of Central Florida for a short time he decided to answer the call and joined the US Army, just before his 19th birthday.
After completing training as a Combat Engineer in Feb of 2010 he was stationed at Ft. Polk, LA with 4th BSTB 10th Mountain Division. They deployed in October of 2010 to Logar, Afghanistan as a Route Clearance Package or RCP. While escorting a supply unit back to Forward Operating Base(FOB) Shank, just weeks before he was scheduled to return home for R&R, Tommy’s vehicle was struck by an IED. The blast was devastating to his right leg but luckily there were no other injuries in the vehicle. Several weeks later, after much consideration, Tommy decided to amputate the remaining parts of his right foot.
Recovery was a long road but Tommy found renewed strength and hope when he returned to his favorite sport, Surfing. This carried over to all aspects of his life and he pushed harder than ever taking up activities like flying light sport airplanes, rock climbing, spearfishing, hiking, and many other outdoor activities. Today, he enjoys life as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer working in Oahu. Tommy hopes to one day start an action sports nonprofit through his love for surfing in order to show other veterans and amputees what they are truly capable of.
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